Implemental equipment for life rafts and the like



July 18, 1944. P. R. GOLDMAN IMPLEMENTAL EQUIPMENT FOR LIFE RAFT AND THE LIKE ll- @WV Cw l July 18, 1944. P. R. GOLDMAN 2,353,662

IMPLEMENTAL EQUIPMENT FOR LIFE RAFTS AND THE LIKE Filed April l0, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 18, 1944 rMPLEMEN'rAL EQUIPMENT Fon LIFE aar'rs AND THE LIKE Y Paul R.. Goldman, Andover, Mass., assignor to Plymold Corporation, Lawrence, Mass., a body corporate Application April l0, 1943, Serial No. 482,591

1 Claim.

My present invention relates to accessory equipment for life rafts, tloats and the like, such as carried for personnel rescue purposes by ships and aircraft operating over water. It aims to provide for propelling and navigating such life rafts and iloats and toaid subsistence on them, through compact rugged equipment constructed and arrangedfor various assembly for diierent oar or paddle, together with two harpoon or spear devices;

Fig. 4 represents a still further assembly of the several elements of the equipment, in this case asa long-handled harpoon and two separate blade elements;

, Fig. 5 again shows the same equipment set as arranged to provide a mast Vand sail, with separate steering means;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of one of the shaft sections or tubular elements adapted to pack a rolled sail such as that of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a further enlarged typical cross-sectional view illustrating the laminate veneer or f plywood construction of the tubular parts.

Referring first to Figs. l and 1a, the equipment set or assembly comprises a sectionalized structure the several elements of which are adapted to be interfitted in various different arrangements, in this instance as an oar pair. Each such oar includes three separable elements, namely a blade section indicated generally at 8, a shaft section 9 and a spear-head and adapter I0:

In accordance with the invention these three main elements, of which there are two each in the two-oar equipment set or unit as here illusv trated, are fabricated of lamillar wood veneer or plywood wherein the constituent layers are bonded together by thermosetting or thermoplastic agents and are impregnated or otherwise treated to render them weather and waterproof.

The blade or paddle `portion 8a of the section 8 is formed of a number. ofy wood or veneer layers united flatwise at the lower portion and molded to provide a cylindrical socket 8b at the opposite end of the blade, into which one end of the tubular shafting 8c is set andl preferably permanently secured vunder plastic bonding.

The several tubular elements including said shaft portion 8c .of thebladesection 8, the shaft orextension piece 9 and desirably also thebody of the adapter or connector elements III, are formed of woundveneer strip material.' Their general tubular structure preferably is such'as disclosed for example in my copending application Serial No. 467,243. As represented in the substantially full-scale but diagrammatic sectional view of Fig. 7, this tubing comprises a number of concentric, layers such as a, b and ceach in turn made up of a plurality of windings or wrappings of thin wood veneer, all plastically bonded together into a unitary tubular structure of great strength and rigidity both radially and axially.

As described in the application referred to, the inner or core stratum a, Fig. 7, includes a plurality of alternately oppositely lwound veneer strips in which the predominant grain direction follows the line of the spiral winding. Over this is a longitudinal strengthening or rigidifying stratum b, itselfcomposed of two or more plies of veneer applied by straight-on winding or otherwise so as to present the grain predominantly in parallelism with the tube axis. Over this is a covering and protective layer c, again made up of two or more windings of veneer strip material wrapped spirally in opposite directions inv succeeding plies. As stated, this multi-ply triplestrata bonded veneer tubing provides the body structure for the several hollow cylindrical elements of the present invention.

The three main component sections 8, 9 and III of the equipment are adapted to be detachably intersecured endwise, in various dilerent arrangements and combinations, as by interfltting or telescoping attachment at their respective ends. As here shown the handle 8c of the blade section 8 is of suiciently larger internal diameter at least at its end to provide a socket for receiving either end of the extension' piece or shaft 9, the latter being of appropriately smaller external end diameter, or having reduced end portions for the purpose. While within the invention either of the elements may be proportioned for tting on or into the other, the construction illustrated makes for reduced weight and material, in that spective oars o! the pair. Each comprises opposed plug-like portions Ila, IIb of a diameter to fit into the shafts 0, with an intermediate collar or annular enlargement itc of an external diameter conforming to the internal diameter of the blade handles le, -ior seating reception therein. One of the plug portions such as ila desirably is closed at its outer end. The opposite plug portion IIb servesasanadapterorattachingbaseforasharp barbed or hook-like metal point cv spear-,head ild.

These spearing. iabbing or hooking members are adapted to be housed at the otherwiseopen end of the respective tubular extensions or shaft sections t. the tubular or cylindrical spear-mounting base portion IIb being of an outer diameter for tight seating in either end of either shaft section. One or the other or both shaft sections of the illustrated equipment unit serve also for housing storage of a sail such as seen in Fig. 5. and

which is represented in its wrapped and stored condition in Pig. 6. As best seen on the larger scale of Pig. 6, spring detente. catches, snap buttons or the like reieasabie fasteners as represented at il, il desirably are provided, preferably in opposed pairs. herein on the sections t for locking reception in corresponding apertures ila. ila in the blade handles lc. and on both ends ilo and IIb and the central portion I lc of the connector and adapter elements Il, for similar reception respectively in corresponding apertures at the ends of the shaft sections and said apertures of the blade handles. The interiitted parts are thus heid against accidental separation.

Figs. 2 to 5 represent by way of example a number of the different assemblies of the component parts of the equipment set such as that of Fig. 1. illustrating the structural inter-relation of the several elements of the equipment unit as a whole.

Noting Fig. 2, the two detachable handle exltensions or shaft sections l are there joined in line to present a long-handled oar, paddle or sweep as seen at the left in said figure. For thus joining together end to end the two shaft sections I, one of the elements il is utilized as a connector or union, its two opposed plug portions being inserted into the adjacent ends of said shafting and affording a rigid joint between them. The other cap, connector and spear-carrying element i0 may be installed at the end of the shaft section I remote from the blade, either with the spearhead sheathed as illustrated or with the spear head projecting, in which latter case the resulting composite device is available optionally as a longshaited harpoon or as a propelling means. In the combination of Fig, 2 the other blade member I is separately available as a paddle or the like, or if preferred the spear-carrying connector element il shown at the outer end of the long-handled oar may be installed at the end of the relatively short shaft lc of said separate blade member l. with the spear-head either sheathed or exposed.

Another combinations] arrangement of the sectional equipment set may be such as represented in Fig. 3. Here the respective blade members l are interfitted at the opposite ends of one of the shaft sections l, thus providing a double-bladed paddle. One or both of the spear-carrying connectors I0 may be installed endwise upon the other shaft section 9, either in sheathed or ex- 4mast and a rudder.

posed condition. As seen in Fig. 3 by way of example. one of said elements i Ii is set with its spear head projecting, thus forming a relatively shorthandled harpoon or prod, the remaining element Il being available for manual use as may be desired.

Still another manner of assembly is that as represented in Fig. 4. In this instance the two handle extensionmembers or shafts t are interconnected by means of one of the elements I l, similarly as for the long-handled oar of Fig. 2. 111e other element il is set into one end of the pluralsection shafting thus formed, thereby providing a'long-handled harpoon or spear. 'Ihe pair of blade sections l are then individually available for use as paddles, clubs or otherwise.

Fig. 5 shows the several elements of the equipment unit disposed to present a sail-carrying Here again the two shaft sections t are inter-connected end to end as by means of one of the connector elements Il. At the then upper end of the long plural-section shaft is secured one of the blade sections I. while at the opposite end the other element Il is inserted with its spear-head sheathed, its projecting portion ila providing a base for the resulting mast whereby it may be stepped into any suitable socket or receiving formation available on the raft or neat, The sail I2 having been removed from its housing shaft (see Fig. 6) is unfurled and secured to the mast in any desired manner. such as the leg o mutton rig seen in Fig. 5. It desirably isformed of a strong light-weight fabric and may be equipped with suitable cords for attaching purposes, as at its respective corner portions at Ila, I 2b and llc. To facilitate rigging the sail the oar blades la desirably each have an aperture Id near their outer ends, and the collar or ferrule portions llc of the elements Il also may be apertured for the purpose, as indicated at Ile.' In the combination and arrangement of Fig. 5 the second blade element I of the set is available as a rudder.

My invention is not limited to the particular embodiment thereof illustrated and described herein, and I set forth its scope in my following claim.

I claim:

A life raft accessory unit comprising, in combination, an assembly set including, a pair of similar separable shaft elements each formed of a concentric series of wood veneer strips wound and bonded together into a hollow tubular formation, a blade section comprising a plywood blade having a longitudinally projecting tubular 4handle open at the end distal from the blade. said tubular handle having a telescoping fit with one of said shaft elements, and a cylindrical closureconnector section having opposed plug-like ends of which one is formed as a base for a spear head. said closure-connector section being inserted into adjacent ends of said shaft elements and affording a rigid joint between them, the outer end of the other shaft element being adapted to receive a second closure-connector section or a second blade section, said elements and sections being interchangeably interconnectable in line with other like sections to present, alternatively, two relatively short paddles, a relatively long and a relatively short paddle, a double ended paddle and a relatively short spearing implement, a relatively long spearing implement and a pair of relatively short paddles, or a mast and a relatively! short rudder-paddle.

PAUL R. GOLDMAN. 

